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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I say I read this, when in reality, I read the first ten or so chapters and then skimmed the rest, flipping page by page and staring in dull bemusement.
This is a didactic storybook pretending to be a zombie novel. I miss the originality of the end-of-world young adult novel. I couldn't find it in here.
This is a didactic storybook pretending to be a zombie novel. I miss the originality of the end-of-world young adult novel. I couldn't find it in here.
Read for Fun!
Challenges: Zombies, Read for Fun
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.25
Character Rating: 4.50
First Thought when Finished: I am slightly in love with a fictional character named Tom Imura!
What I Loved: Rot & Ruin was set long after the First Night and gives us a glimpse at society trying to rebuild itself. I loved that Jonathan wasn't afraid to show us that some people chose to hide, some people chose to fight, some people were nasty creatures, and other people chose to make their own kind of stand. I imagine that the world he created is a lot like what would happen if something catastrophic changed our world. Rot & Ruin really makes you think about what your coping mechanism would be in a crisis. I also really loved that even though this is YA (there are some very smack the teenager up the head moments), you never feel as if that is the whole story. There are adult figures, family, teenagers learning lessons (and not knowing it all), and mostly truth shared through experience and teaching. This is the kind of YA that I enjoy reading.
What I Liked: The characters in Rot & Ruin run the spectrum in personalities. Jonathan Maberry pretty much put one of each into the mix and let you find someone you could identify with. I think that above all it was the people (good and bad) that makes this story tick! Plus, I really liked Tom Imura's POV towards Zombies and how he is teaching Benny to think as well as act!
Final Thought When Finished: I am glad I have the 2nd one on hand to start!
Challenges: Zombies, Read for Fun
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.25
Character Rating: 4.50
First Thought when Finished: I am slightly in love with a fictional character named Tom Imura!
What I Loved: Rot & Ruin was set long after the First Night and gives us a glimpse at society trying to rebuild itself. I loved that Jonathan wasn't afraid to show us that some people chose to hide, some people chose to fight, some people were nasty creatures, and other people chose to make their own kind of stand. I imagine that the world he created is a lot like what would happen if something catastrophic changed our world. Rot & Ruin really makes you think about what your coping mechanism would be in a crisis. I also really loved that even though this is YA (there are some very smack the teenager up the head moments), you never feel as if that is the whole story. There are adult figures, family, teenagers learning lessons (and not knowing it all), and mostly truth shared through experience and teaching. This is the kind of YA that I enjoy reading.
What I Liked: The characters in Rot & Ruin run the spectrum in personalities. Jonathan Maberry pretty much put one of each into the mix and let you find someone you could identify with. I think that above all it was the people (good and bad) that makes this story tick! Plus, I really liked Tom Imura's POV towards Zombies and how he is teaching Benny to think as well as act!
Final Thought When Finished: I am glad I have the 2nd one on hand to start!
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Alright, so first off, I am by no means an expert on zombie apocalypse books. I haven't read very many, just because they really aren't my cup of tea. But for some reason, Rot & Ruin piqued my interest, and I just have to say that it was INCREDIBLE.
I think it's very difficult to make the zombie-apocalypse genre appeal to a large variety of people, partly due to the fact that just the phrase "zombie apocalypse" kind of has a juvenile sound to it. But Rot & Ruin did an amazing job of not quite fitting the typical mold for this type of book. There's more to the book than just the storyline about Benny, Tom, and Nix. It's a book that can really get you thinking about things like fear, evil, what life really is, compassion... lots of things that aren't normally a part of zombie books. One quote/phrase that really spoke to me was towards the end of the book where Benny says, "I would have done the same thing...(I TOOK OUT THIS SECTION DUE TO SPOILERS)...because I don't ever want to live in a world where something like mercy, or maybe it's compassion, is the wrong choice." I don't know, I just feel like that's something that can be very applicable to our world today.
I have sooooooo much more I want to say about this book, but my right arm is in a sling and I'm getting tired of typing with one hand, so I'll just leave it at that.
Alright, so first off, I am by no means an expert on zombie apocalypse books. I haven't read very many, just because they really aren't my cup of tea. But for some reason, Rot & Ruin piqued my interest, and I just have to say that it was INCREDIBLE.
I think it's very difficult to make the zombie-apocalypse genre appeal to a large variety of people, partly due to the fact that just the phrase "zombie apocalypse" kind of has a juvenile sound to it. But Rot & Ruin did an amazing job of not quite fitting the typical mold for this type of book. There's more to the book than just the storyline about Benny, Tom, and Nix. It's a book that can really get you thinking about things like fear, evil, what life really is, compassion... lots of things that aren't normally a part of zombie books. One quote/phrase that really spoke to me was towards the end of the book where Benny says, "I would have done the same thing...(I TOOK OUT THIS SECTION DUE TO SPOILERS)...because I don't ever want to live in a world where something like mercy, or maybe it's compassion, is the wrong choice." I don't know, I just feel like that's something that can be very applicable to our world today.
I have sooooooo much more I want to say about this book, but my right arm is in a sling and I'm getting tired of typing with one hand, so I'll just leave it at that.
Coming of age with zombies, why hasn't anyone done this before? -is designing "Team Tom Imura" shirts in her head . . .
I just don’t really care. I kinda wanna know what happens, but not enough to waste the time listening to it.
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
I'm surprised how much I liked this book. From the description, I figured that this would be a fairly stock YA zombie story (I do like zombie stories, though). While I found this to be not as good as the more adult-oriented World War Z, Feed, Deadline, or The Reapers are the Angels. I enjoyed this more than it's more youthful peers such as The Forest of Hands and Teeth.
Can't say much without getting too spoilery, but I thought this book's plot was particularly well crafted. The narrative and dialogue was solid with occasional passages that were very insightful. It has decent character design. The action scenes are well "choreographed." At a certain point, you will look at zombies a bit differently, Walking Dead Season 2-style.
I think my reserve copy of the sequel, "Dust and Decay," rolls into the library tomorrow. Looking forward to reading it.
Can't say much without getting too spoilery, but I thought this book's plot was particularly well crafted. The narrative and dialogue was solid with occasional passages that were very insightful. It has decent character design. The action scenes are well "choreographed." At a certain point, you will look at zombies a bit differently, Walking Dead Season 2-style.
I think my reserve copy of the sequel, "Dust and Decay," rolls into the library tomorrow. Looking forward to reading it.
This is the best zombie apocalypse book I've read, so far. Highly recommended to other readers who enjoy this type of book! I'm looking forward to reading book two in the series.
When I found this book, it sounded interesting, but I kept putting off reading it. Finally did it, and it was dumb putting it off. It was well written, and the post-zombie apocalyptic world was really well conceived. I really wished there was more to it. I suppose that's why there are more books in the series. The characters were pretty well developed, and relatable. I gave it a 4 because it was way better than I thought it would be. I don't know if I'll read any more of the series though...